Not the Best Blog

Summer Is On It's Way

2010-05-24T23:31:00.002-06:00

It has been a while since I've updated. *coughchristmascough* So, I thought along with my updated summery background I'd ad a little update on life.

Busy.

The end.

Okay, no really. It's the end of the school year... ALREADY! This is the last week of school and I'm wondering where it went... and how I'm gonna keep the kids occupied. hmmm... manual labor? LOTS of manual labor? Yes, that and lots of running around barefoot outside from trampoline to trampoline in the neighbors' yards.

Caleb will be entering the 2nd grade! Big 2nd grader!!! I'm hoping for a miracle with that boy. The miracle is that he learns how to preserve the knees of his jeans. You would think the kid walks around on his knees all day at school! Seriously, how do they wear them down so fast?! It gets expensive... and embarrassing when you have to send him in tattered pants, because that's ALL HE HAS! ugh. Why do they even make boys jeans with knees in them. They should just replace that area with metal.

Rebecca is one step closer to middle school now. *sob* I don't like watching her grow up. :( It scares me. This year we had the big "maturation meeting" at her school with the nurse and the 5th grade girls and their moms. Can I just say... YIKES!!! Yeah... I think that's all I want to say about that right now. 0_0 Other than that, her favorite band right now is Lifehouse. YES! She and I rock out and sing to each other into our air microphones along with them. The girl has great taste. What can I say. ;)

I've been super busy helping plan the "Eclipse Party on the Plaza" up at Jordan Landing here in UT. So I'll continue, as I have been to occupy tons of time with that. Plans are coming together. We are just praying for sun on June 29th!!! No rain on that day, please!!!

My father in law is an old retired leathery cowboy and he always prays for moisture, but like with my wedding day, I'll have to have him change the wording in his prayers for a nice sunny day, just on that day, any other day can have moisture-but NOT that day. :)

All the women involved with this event are just awe inspiring! I am just so amazed that they keep coming back for more! It's like we all must be glutton for punishment because the tremendous stress of pulling something of this caliber together along with the already stressful and demanding lives we all have with jobs, family, volunteering, etc, etc, etc. just seems like more than a normal sane person would want to put up with, but ya know... somehow we just crave it. We crave the challenge and we crave the experiences of just being together as a bunch of crazy friends. What could be more normal than that, right?

Anyway, wish us luck!

And keep Logan in your prayers for his *last* semester of school. *knock on wood* It just doesn't seem like it can actually be that close but... it is! He's enjoying summer break right now but when he goes back, it's for the last semester. And then WORK. I've already been praying for the dream job to just fall in his lap for him. (ummm... yeah... I'll keep praying on that... )

Thus far this summer hasn't been too summery. It actually snowed this morning! (Dang that Papa, prayin' for moisture!) But I'm still holding out hope for warm days ahead, and the smell of dirt and sunshine on my kids at the end of the day. How I do love summer!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-19T19:31:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas from the HansenFamily to all our family and friends!

2009 has been a roller coaster of a year for us and we are ready to take on 2010. Logan has one semester of school left. Yes, one semester. (we hope... boyyyy do we hope!) It has been a long hard road for him and he's made it to the home stretch. We are so proud of what he's accomplished so far and continue to pray and keep our fingers crossed for these last months coming up.

He also continues to enjoy his calling in our ward/congregation as the financial clerk. It requires him to stay after for a couple of hours every Sunday, but serving in that capacity has been something he really looks forward to and a wonderful experience.

Doing ceramics has taken a back seat to writing papers, but Logan finds a little time every so often to do a couple of things here and there.

Lisa continues to drive her family crazy with her "Lucy Ricardo-esque" tendencies. Her website, TwilightMOMS.com, is still growing and thriving thanks to all her "partners in crime." At any given time, approximately 40-50 volunteer women from all over the world help maintain the online community. (For which Lisa is eternally and ever increasingly grateful for.) Amazing opportunities continue to present themselves and the site has received media attention in 2009, like never before, including pieces featured on World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson, The New Yorker magazine, The Today Show, CNN.com and lots more. Too many to list so feel free to just google it at your leisure. ;)

Lisa was also involved in an event held in SLC called the New Moon Experience which was basically a movie premiere party on steroids. (HUGE Thanks to all the TM volunteers for all their blood, sweat and tears!) There were Twilight Moms premiere parties held all over the country and each one helped to raise funds for ALSF, a foundation to raise money for childhood cancer research and families with children battling cancer. All together we were able to raise over $20,000!!! Many thanks to NY, SLC, Dallas, Austin, Anaheim Hills/Corona, Myrtle Beach and Macon! (Bring on Eclipse!)

What's Lisa up to next??? you ask??? Well, along with some of her fellow Twilight Mom administrators she will be involved in another website set to launch Jan 01, 2010 called Eve's Fan Garden. ( evesfangarden.com ) So, stay tuned. (Life is never dull for someone with such a short attention span)

Becca is quite the young woman now. And quite the pre-teen. As always, she is ALL GIRL - pink, sparkles, makeup, Hello Kitty, ipod and attitude! She loves loves loves to shop. Her special needs class gets to go on field trips every week and her favorites are going swimming or bowling. Sometimes they get to stop at the mall and she gets to put her super shopper skills to work. Becca's teacher and all the aids and therapists are phenomenal! She's such a busybody, and they keep her learning new things and necessary skills every day. And Becca loooves doing homework, turning it in and getting lots of happy faces and smiles on every page! When there's no homework, she goes crazy doing all kinds of crafts at home. We're so extremely proud of her growth this year and we continue to brace ourselves for the impending teen years coming quickly!

As much as Becca is all girl, Caleb is all boy! Legos are everywhere throughout the house always. Burping is a prestigious sport. He would melt his brain playing video games for 24 hours straight if it wasn't for the timer and parents enforcing strict time limits and game-free days. Caleb's getting very bold on his bike, trying all kinds of tricks. He's gone through 2 sets of tires just this past summer! Let's hope next year he gets curb jumping down and cuts down the number of popped tires.

In school Caleb is a great student! He's doing an amazing job learning to spell, read and write and do basic math. We're so proud every time he brings home his spelling tests and does his homework with very little help. But learning does have it's drawbacks- you know how you get to a point as a parent when you're conflicted about your child being a good speller because he can finally figure out what you and you're spouse are talking about when you're spelling words in a conversation, trying to be secretive? Well, we're there. No more "code-talking" for us. :(

Caleb also has a buddy in his class who, if we didn't know better, we'd think they were separated at birth. Those two are quite a pair! Lots of giggles and rough housing. Caleb's teacher is one patient woman! She has been fabulous and we're so glad he's having such a fun school year and is always progressing and growing.

All in all, this has been a great year. It kept us all running constantly to the point that we can't figure out how it is already December! We've been truly challenged and truly blessed all along the way and are looking forward to what the next year has in store for us. (well, the good stuff anyway.)

To all our friends and family, we wish you the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of Holidays! We hope that the coming year is abundant with laughter, blessings and joy! We are so grateful for you in our lives!

Season's Greetings!

The New Moon Experience

2009-09-12T14:35:00.004-06:00

Don’t just see New Moon… Experience it!

TwilightMOMS, in conjunction with RLegacy Entertainment and The Mitch Hansen Band presents:

The New Moon Experience

November 19th – 20th at the South Towne Expo Center

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Join us for 2 days of Twilight Saga craziness and live the New Moon Experience by visiting Forks, La Push and Volterra all under one roof in Salt Lake City!

Check our blog for the latest news!

*Two Day Admission for the event is only $28!!!*

UNTIL TOMORROW! Sept 13th

A portion of the proceeds will go toward childhood cancer research with:

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

Click HERE for all ticketing options,

including reserved movie seating!

The Twilight Factor

2009-06-20T01:36:00.003-06:00

The Twilight Factor

Lisa Hansen

FOX Cable news show, The O’Reilly Factor, aired a segment posing the question, “Is there a downside to marketing vampires and vampirism to teenagers?” Radio show host, Laura Ingram filled in for Bill O’Reilly and was joined via satellite by famed vampire author, Anne Rice.

Ingram begins the segment suggesting a new “vampire chic” as a result of phenom books, movies and shows such as Twilight and True Blood. Pointing out the amazing box office success of Twilight, she noted the popularity specifically with teens and wonders whether Twilight Saga vampire fantasy books and movies might be “blurring the lines” as to what’s acceptable, what’s good, what’s evil?

Could Twilight possibly be confusing perception of good and evil for millions of teens? Anne Rice doesn’t seem to think so. Speaking from her own personal experience with teen response to her books, Rice tells Ingram, “I really do think the teenagers understand that this is a fantasy. I mean, the emails they send me indicate that they do.” Through running clips of the movie Twilight and the popular HBO series True Blood, she goes on to explain, “And of course everything depends on the content of the book and the content of the movie, and there is a blurring of the line here… there is a question about that, but I really do think that we go to books and we go to movies to fantasize and we visit there and then we go home.”

While both women engaged in what was an interesting conversation, it was evident that Rice was not about to place judgment on another’s vampire work and it was apparent that Ingram has not read The Twilight Saga, or at least not enough to have realized that just because Twilight has vampires doesn’t mean it can be thrown into the traditional category of grim vampire stories or the new "vampire chic."

Rice discussed how her books were somewhat affected by where she was personally in her life. In the past she wanted to write about the dark and lonely world of being a vampire but she says she wrote those and then “it was over for me.” She said, “I changed and moved on to a new spiritual territory.”

Rice has recently rediscovered and renewed her dedication to her Roman Catholic faith and tells Ingram she even made a promise to write for God and Him only. Ending the segment Ingram remarks, “Maybe the authors of Twilight and True Blood and all those others, new ‘vampire chic’ endeavors… I mean, who knows? … maybe down the road they’ll actually come to the same conclusion. Redemption. Grace. We’re all certainly seeking it.”

We certainly are. In fact, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer came to that conclusion long before she ever thought she'd write a book, which is evident in the content of her books. Perhaps Laura Ingram might want to meet a few vampires who have dedicated their own eternal lives to the search for redemption and grace. A few vampires who have learned, “… just because we’ve been dealt a certain hand… it doesn’t mean that we can’t choose to rise above – to conquer the boundaries of a destiny that none of us wanted.” (Twilight, pg. 307) Fictional vampires that actually challenge the mind of the reader (whatever the age) to see the very clear distinct line between good and evil in our non-fictional world.

Perhaps the Twilight fans should introduce Laura Ingram to a good family who goes by the name “Cullen.”

For more on this segment go to www.billoreilly.com
Email your opinion to oreilly@foxnews.com Keep it short and pithy (not rude and disrespectful) and include your name and town… if you wish to opine. ;)

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-05-22T15:33:00.001-06:00

Caleb graduated from kindergarten today! The class sang lots of songs to all the parents and family who attended but the best one was their graduation song. To the music of Sinatra's New York, New York, they all sang, "We're gonna be a part of it! First grade, First graaaade!"

Feeding the Fish

2009-05-16T21:17:00.002-06:00

Today I took the kids down to the duck pond in the industrial park near our house. You'd think we like to go there to feed the ducks, right? Guess again. This duck pond is full of hungry and daring fish too.

When they see you walk up to the edge of the water they start swarming along with the ducks and geese. But you have to be fast if you're a bird because these fish are fast! As soon as we dropped a bit of bread they splash and fight for it and pile up on top of each other. They basically jump out of the water. But the most fun thing to do is to just throw out a giant piece and watch them scoot and nip at it all around the pond.

My Birthday Weekend

2009-05-11T22:23:00.005-06:00

One year older and wiser too! Well, older anyway. I turned 36 over the weekend and had a fabulous birthday. I've never seen so many birthday wishes! I tried to keep my birthday a secret last year but you know how it is... someone who already knows is always gonna tell anyone who asks (I know because I do it too. LOL!) , so the cat is out of the bag and I think it's safe to say it's public knowledge now.

I had only one birthday request from my family and it was that we go to The Sweet Tooth Fairy and everyone pick out a cupcake (I have to say, I also got one of their ginormous sugar cookies with frosting and it was heavenly!). Pickin's were slim at the end of the day but we made off with 3 Lemon, 1 Cookies n' Cream, 1 Vanilla Squared, and 1 Chocolate with Vanilla frosting. It goes without saying they were fabulous! We all had to taste each others. I seriously have never tasted better cupcakes in my life! I think they secretly sprinkle each one with a pinch of sin!

And speaking of sin... my dinner choice was the current local food obsession for my husband and I. Zubs (Pizza and Subs). Logan and I have had Zubs so many times in the past month that I'm worried the owners will think we are stalking them! But rest assured owners of the awesomest sandwich shop on the planet... it's your food we want! I've even begun referring to this place as "Lucifer's Sandwich Shop"! It's SO good it has to be bad! And I would never have thought this if they hadn't started serving breakfast too!!! Give me a break!!! These guys make a monstrosity of a cinnamon roll that is not only irresistible but it is affordable too! $1.99 for a cinnamon roll bigger than my children! Ugh! I should move... somewhere I'm not surrounded by great stuff to eat! Either that or I should just accept my increasing voluptuousness and enjoy.

Whatever I choose in the end, it was a great birthday with birthday wishes from friends around the world, family surrounding me, and good food to top it off. You can't get better than perfect! And that's what I got!

Twilight Gadgets! Gotta Love Google!

2009-05-06T14:38:00.006-06:00

As if I needed another way to obsess over Twilight! These are gadgets that you can add to your iGoogle page and get a daily dose of whose ever team you're on! Everyday there is a different picture. My neighbor just told me a about these and I just had to share with everyone!!! I'm totally gonna try and figure out how to make some TwilightMOMS gadgets!!!

Click the Google button to add them to your iGoogle page! =)

  New Moon Count Down

  Twilight Photo of the Day

  Bella & Edward

  Robert Pattinson

  Taylor Lautner

  Twilight Cast

  Twilight Hotties

Birthday Wishes

2009-05-02T15:22:00.005-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITTEN!

For Britten's Birthday she gave one request to any and all friends in the general vicinity of this AMAZING shop:

... to go there and eat a cupcake for her. How could we resist?! It was her birthday wish! And we wanted to make it come true... right??? That's the least we could do for her... on her birthday, right? (You bet your sweet bippy it is!) When I'm given a crucial mission to accomplish, and if there are pastries involved... I'M IN! No questions asked!

And so Britten, I just hope it was the BESTEST birthday EVER!!!

Love ya!

... p.s. The cupcakes this place are the best I've ever had in my entire life!

Birthday Wishes

2009-04-11T13:01:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Georgia!!!

I LURRRRRRVE YOU!!!

Click HERE to give Georgia aka *gypsy wings* lots of love and birthday wishes!

Fun With Hate Mail Part III

2009-04-10T18:56:00.003-06:00

Has it really been this long since my last post??? I'm terrible! So much has happened in the last exciting and tumultuous month. Yet I have so little time right now. To make up for my blog-neglect, I will share with you THE BEST hate message I've gotten to date. I don't even have a response to it because it just speaks for itself. So without further adieu I present:

Fun With Hate Mail Part III

Submitted on 2009/04/09 at 1:29pm

You guys are sooooooooo LAME!!!!! Gosh! You make Twilight embarrasing! Like OMFG~!!!!!!!! Like I don’t even know~! You make the younger fans feel gay….and…lame…and old….and I just think you guys need to get a life! Like seriously…seriously.

Muah ha ha.
Get a life.
Losers.
Haha..ha.

I'd also like to thank Mrs. "feel gay" for adhering to the TwilightMOMS strict No Foul Language policy (for the most part) and wish her the best of luck with her self esteem and tendency to blame everyone else for everything wrong in her world.

p.s. You think we make YOU feel old???

The Chronicles of Caleb

2009-03-08T19:13:00.003-06:00

Once again, my 6 year old son, Caleb, proves he is the strangest and funniest character I've ever met. I need to have a whole series of just little entries starring him. I thought I could call it The Caleb Chronicles or Caleb Clips or something like that... anyway, most mothers will dote over their sons as being so smart for their age or so talented, maybe even a natural at sports. But my Caleb... he's just hilarious!

The day before yesterday I was doing dishes and he came up behind me and told me I should go into my bedroom and sneak up on Daddy then jump on him and roll him over and smack his butt. Why? I don't know. He just really really wanted me to do this one thing for him. I told him no, I was busy trying to get the kitchen clean. He continued to beg, "Pleeeeeease? Pleeeease Mom? Come onnnnn... pleeeeease? just do it!" I told him "no" multiple times, then he knew he'd have to play rough and open his puppy dog eyes a little wider and raise his eyebrows a little higher. (Any parent knows it's the most difficult thing in the world to resist... and the kids know it too! And boy do they use it!) Caleb looked up to me and said, "please?... do it for me, Mommy?" I stopped and one last time said as directly as I could, "no" thinking that was that and laughing inside. Then I went back to putting dishes away and without missing a beat he said, "Then do it for Blankie, Mom! Do it... for Blankie."

I almost caved with that one... almost!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just tonight, maybe 30 minutes ago, I caught him outside on the trampoline wearing his sister's pepto-pink bathrobe and singing, "The Dark Lord is a'bouncin'.... The Dark Lord is a'bouncin'... " It was like some sort of bad Star Wars musical being performed in my backyard. LOL!!!! He's just such an awesome, fun kid to have.

Website Progress

2009-03-03T18:42:00.002-07:00

I'm making a little progress on the website. Slowly but surely. I'm trying to organize and add content while my ninja webmaster is working on the design and theme. The boring one we have up right now is temporary so initially it doesn't look like the place of fabulousness and fun that it will be eventually.

I've been working on it while the kids are at school and when they go outside to play. (My fingers are triple crossed for the nice weather to stick around!) I need all the time I can get, being the technologically challenged individual I am. You'd think I'd be an old pro by now, but... well, that's me. =)

I'm taking a break right now for American Idol (my religion) and then after I get the kids to bed it's back to work!!!

Wordle Fun

2009-02-25T20:53:00.003-07:00

Has it really been a month since my last blog??? Well, I went into this knowing I was a terrible blogger and that this is not the best blog you could be reading. But hey, I've been busy busy busy.

But you'll love this... I've been obsessed with wordle.net for the past couple of hours and I have some great TwilightMOMS creations. Some are made from the list of all the Twilight fansites on stepheniemeyer.com (except for a bunch of the foreign ones b/c that would have taken me a whole day-it's not just copy and paste for all of them.) =( The rest of the wordles are made from words that come to mind when I think about TwilightMOMS and what it means to me... I'm sure I left out plenty of good words. Create your own and let me see what TwilightMOMS means to you and what words come to your mind.

Feel free to scroll down to the bottom of my blog and just click on any of them to get the code and post on your own blog, myspace, or facebook. =)

I Have Conquered Oatmeal

2009-01-26T23:28:00.002-07:00

In an effort to be healthier and hopefully shed a few pounds, I've sworn off refined sugar and enriched flour including foods containing those ingredients. Infusing the right amount of sweetness and flavor for my taste into a bowl of oatmeal has been a particular trial for me.

My perfect bowl of oats used to be topped with brown sugar, a dollop of butter, a good squeeze of maple syrup and a dash of vanilla. I don't even want to know the number of calories or grams of sugar I desecrated my healthy, plain oatmeal with then. And since giving up all the good stuff I have tried all kinds of combinations and experiments with my oatmeal to no avail... until now...

This morning I tried a couple of scoops of powdered sugar free vanilla pudding in my oats. It made all the difference! I added some cut up strawberries and viola! Strawberries 'n' Cream Oatmeal! I am so excited about this it's ridiculous, but I just had to share this amazing breakthrough! The countless new possibilities are all running through my head right now and I can hardly wait to try them! Woohoo!!! Yay for oatmeal!

Redraw The Line Between Hollywood And Washington DC

2009-01-25T21:21:00.003-07:00

I'm just so troubled over something. Normally, I don't think I would give it so much of my energy and almost non-existent time, but I think it's eating at me so much because the source of this annoyance is from an actor I have absolutely loved... and I mean LURRRRRRRVED! for 20+ years of my 35 years of life! I thought anything this guy touched (or even his lovely wife and kids touched) turned to gold on screen. I had even further respect for him as his personality off screen seemed to ooze greatness and well roundedness. One of the rare examples in Hollywood that it is possible to be "in the biz" but not "of the biz."

All of that respect (20 years plus!) I held suddenly got gut punched, square in the center when my hero, of sorts, Tom Hanks said this:

“The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen,” he told Tarts. “There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here's what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed, and people can see who's responsible, and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting Constitution, and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So let's have faith in not only the American, but Californian, constitutional process.”

uhhhh... EXCUSE ME??? ... WHAT THE JUNK???!!! Thanks for that proverbial punch in the stomach, Tom! Oh and by the way... the truth is... you have NO idea what the TRUTH is!!!

Tom Hanks is an executive producer of the HBO series "Big Love" which is good soap opera drama if that's what you're into, but FARRRRRRRR from accurate portrayal of any of those offshoots from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, of which polygamy practicing groups are in NO WAY WHATSOEVER tied to. Nor do the members of these groups or compounds just mingle among mainstream society in Utah any more than they do in Arizona, Colorado, or Texas. So, in short, Tom... first and foremost, I think you have a pretty tainted or maybe even twisted view of the truth about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

For the next part of the punch in the stomach, I'd like to clear up that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints did not give money to the church "to make Prop 8 happen" members gave a lot of money to the cause itself. Just like other churches such as the Catholic, Baptist, African American denominations, etc. etc. etc. did. (I find it so interesting how the mormons are singled out in this whole Prop 8 issue... how many churches were involved? with how many dollars raised aside from what LDS members raised? ... look into it.) So, as for the "people can see who's responsible," you might want to go fact check that one, too, Tommy boy.

And for me, no curse word can sting worse than the slur "un-American." GAH!!! What is more American than exercising the right to vote? Why is it "un-American" for anyone to believe differently than another fellow American?

Ahhh... Tom, Tom, Tom... *shakes head* I'm so disappointed. I adored you from the beginning. From the cross dressing comedy Bosom Buddies, to your guest star appearance on Family Ties as the alcoholic uncle, to The Man With One Red Shoe, Money Pit, That Thing You Do, Philadelphia and on and on and on, I loved them all. And then you go and spout mindless political blame-throwing statements like that. UGHHH!!!

I don't care what political ideals you subscribe to, if you're an entertainer your job is to entertain. If you're gonna publicly run your mouth and politically finger point, you run the risk of alienating those who otherwise would continue to enthusiastically praise your talent. The line between Hollywood and Washington DC is far too blurred in my opinion. And the guys on the Hollywood side are ruining all the fun and enjoyment of going to a movie, watching a good TV show or even watching an awards ceremony, which are common forms of escape from all the exhausting political back and forth bantering.

Man, what a bummer... Tom Hanks was really cool. *sigh*

Fun With Hate Mail - Part Deux

2009-01-11T21:49:00.002-07:00

Once again I fall victim to blame for events which I had no prior knowledge of. Apparently, members of my website have been committing the unforgivable sin of "cheating" on an online poll! *gasp* - say it isn't so! - but, in defense of this concerned email writer, this is an online poll of the utmost importance! This isn't just ANY poll! This is a poll by hellomagazine.com asking, "who is the Most Attractive Man?" (can you feel the urgency now??? ... or at least my sarcasm?)

Below is the email I received from a concerned online voter... whose choice of hottest male celeb is obviously losing.

*names have been changed to protect the stupid

xxxxxx to admin
show details 11:39 AM (10 hours ago)

I would like to say that it seems a bit pathetic that your members
feel they need to insult another human being in order to appreciate
Rob Pattinson.

But...beyond the insulting, nasty comments I've been seeing... it
would probably help your cause in this magazine poll if your members
didn't PUBLICLY discuss your methods of cheating the "one vote per 10
minutes" rule.

Hello Magazine will be checking the votes, and probably the IP behind
those votes, before they publish the final results. Isn't it best to
play fair, than to cheat and feel like you're winning, only to have
tens of thousands of your votes removed because of cheating?

Those of us on the other side of the battle have simply been using
timers to make sure we know when our ten minutes is up. No cheating,
and we encourage all our fellow fans not to cheat. For us, we already
know who's the best, and we already know that attractiveness goes
beyond mere shallow appearance. We'd rather lose honorably, than win
by cheating. Now, if both sides were like that, it would be a much
less nasty competition.

Just thought I'd let you know the reputation your members are giving
your forum, and it's not pretty.

In response to this, I ask - is life so bad that losing an online poll about who's the hottest has you that stirred up? Personally, I'm not even a fan of the Rpattz! My website has plenty of other members who feel the same way too!

For anyone to think that this is about such a noble and worthy cause as finding out truly, who is the most attractive male, female, or whatever is terribly naive. Likewise, for anyone to think that there is going to be a team of highly trained professional judges to be sure that this vote count was completely and totally accurate by cross referencing tens of thousands of IP addresses from the frantic teen-to-middle aged female online voters and questioning every cyber hanging chad, is absolutely... absolutely....... oh... I can't even come up with a word for it... I've already used "naive," and "stupid" is just condescending. (Fill in the blank with something combining those two words and there you have it!)

Let me educate you... When you go to this website to vote, you may notice something other than the actual poll off to the side, top and/or bottom of the page... those are called "ads." Websites make money from these "ads."You may notice that lots of times the "ads" change each time you click and the page loads again. Each click by each visitor makes the website money thus, lots of visitors means lots of clicks which means... money. But, how does a website go about getting lots of visitors to their website? Once the visitors are there, how does the website get the visitors to click lots and lots of times? Hmmmm... I think a poll involving highly popular celebrities will do just the trick! After all, we females are fiercely loyal to our favorite attractive celebrities... even to the point of wanting them to, say... win a fun yet ultimately meaningless online poll. So, we vote and vote and vote! And how do we vote? We click! And what does each click mean for the website? That's right - $!

And so, in summation, I'd just like to say - Chill out... it's a gimmick! - a stupid online poll about who's hotter!... all's fair... And can you really account for each of the individual voters on your "side of the battle... using timers???"... yeesh! come on!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to vote for Orlando Bloom...

Birthday Project for Stephenie

2008-12-19T08:46:00.002-07:00

ATTENTION ALL TwilightMOMS, TwilightTEENS, and Twilight20Somethings!!!

TwilightMOMS is putting together a Happy Birthday video for Stephenie Meyer in conjunction with our other fansite friends out there!

What we need for from you:

A 15 second video telling Stephenie Happy Birthday AND why Esme and Carlisle Rock!
Or a photo from a time you met Stephenie and we will include it in the video!

Each of the fansites is taking a couple, group, or character from The Twilight Saga and we have Carlisle and Esme. Let’s wish our favorite author a happy birthday by thanking her for these great characters!

But HURRY! We need to have all these in by the 20th!

Send videos or pics to twilightmomsnewsblog@gmail.com

HURRY! HURRY!

Want To Be Heard? Write Summit & Go See Twilight Tomorrow

2008-12-11T12:18:00.005-07:00

I'm getting lots of emails from fans who have some definite opinions about some of the different reports that have come out regarding the filming of New Moon: Replacing Catherine Hardwicke, film budget, replacing Taylor Lautner, rushing to get the film into the theaters, etc. Though opinions on these different issues vary with individual fans, the one thing that everyone agrees on is that the movie should stay true to the book Stephenie Meyer wrote. Everyone expresses that they want the film makers to "get it right."

It is the responsibility of the fans to make sure film makers "get it right" and preserve the integrity of Stephenie Meyer's stories and the characters which fans all love so deeply. Most emails I get are from people who want to "do something," "send them a message," or "be heard." The most effective way to do this is to write directly to Summit and share your concerns or kudos with them in a letter sent through the mail... like on real paper and with a stamp on it and everything!

Summit Entertainment

1630 Stewart Street, Suite 120

Santa Monica, CA 90404 USA

How is this effective?

Online petitions are a farce and do not work.
Emails are easily deleted and do not work.
Using profanity does not enhance a message (nor your IQ).
Death threats or threats of bodily harm definitely do NOT work and are illegal.

Taking the time to write your message down and send something tangible to the film makers will be taken seriously. It sends an underlying message that you are a human being who cares about something and you deserve their respect. The more letters they receive from individuals, the more they will realize that fans do matter.

Imagine if you were going out to get your mail and you had the usual couple of bills, some junk mail in the box, and a giant bag as tall as your waist full of letters from thousands, even millions, all over the world sitting there waiting for you? What if you got that same sack of mail, or even 2 or 3 bags of that mail every day from individuals everywhere? You couldn't simply ignore that people are trying to tell you something. That makes a definite impact!

Use a tone of respect and courtesy.
Include your name and country/state.
Be professional.
Get to your point(s) right away.
Lengthy letters are less likely to be read completely.
Don't be afraid to write again.

Prove that fans matter on 12.12.08.

On TwilightMOMS.com we are planning a TwilightMOMS Night at the Movie. We've passed this on to other fan sites and are hoping that all fans everywhere will take part by going to see Twilight in theaters Friday (tomorrow) 12.12.08, which was the original release date set for the movie.

It doesn't matter what time you see it, or if you go alone or with a group, the point is... on 12.12.08 JUST GO. With enough people participating we will bump up the movie earnings on that particular day and $how Summit just how much they need and want fan support in order to succeed.

To sum it all up:

Writing and mailing letters to Summit is effective, writing to me is not.
Going to the movie Twilight on 12.12.08 and letting the almighty dollar send a message is effective, doing nothing is not.

Twilight has a very unique fandom and when we work together for a good purpose we can accomplish amazing things! We made Twilight a hit at the box office regardless of the fact that no one in the movie industry took the film seriously. We brought the movie millions of dollars! We set a new record for the biggest opening weekend for a female director! We took relatively unknown actors and put their names into the industry everywhere! We took "known" actors and made them into international superstars!

Sounds to me like if fans had something to say... the wise thing for Summit to do would be to listen.

Twilight Christmas Spoof LOL!!!

2008-12-10T13:46:00.001-07:00

For Moms EVERYWHERE!!!

2008-12-09T14:46:00.001-07:00

New Moon: Formula For Success

2008-12-08T20:54:00.005-07:00

I would like to clearly distinguish myself as a Stephenie Meyer fan. I am a fan of her writing. For whatever reason my brain says, "This is good stuff. I want more." This is a seriously amazing feat due to the fact that I have never been a reader and have never been a fan of fantasy or science fiction. I am not a literary snob when it comes to books because I haven't read very many of them, to tell you the truth. I get bored easy and will suddenly realize I just read a whole chapter and have no idea what I read b/c I was thinking of something else more entertaining. I actually made it out of high school without reading any more than maybe a couple of books. I actually used to make up books in my head and do book reports on them and get A's and B's. So, for me to be enthusiastic about a book, let alone 5 of them from the same author, is a miracle in and of itself!

I just connect with the stories Stephenie Meyer tells. And so I do not consider myself as much a fan of movie translations of her books by other individuals so much as I classify myself as a fan of her written stories. They are my favorite form of entertainment and it is nice to be able to enjoy something that was written just for the sake of entertainment and enjoyment on her part as much as they are for me as a reader of them.

All that being said, there is such an astronomical amount of hype going on about the movies part of The Twilight Saga. (duh. it's everywhere.) I was extremely thrilled beyond belief at the prospect of seeing Twilight brought to life physically on screen. The buzz was immediate for all of us in the fandom. The fans began marketing the movie even before it began filming! We wanted to know anything and everything about the movie! Set's, wardrobe, hair, the most seemingly minute details, you name it! The cast and crew literally had no idea what they had gotten themselves into. We are a very close-knit fanbase, and we are perfectionists about getting it right! Why? Because it is the story and the characters that we love passionately and only want justice done to them in the way Stephenie Meyer brought them to life in her books.

The fans were lucky beyond belief that Catherine Hardwicke was the director of Twilight. She "got it" right away. She connected with the fans and acknowledged that it was the fans who would make it a success so it was the fans she would do her best to satisfy. She didn't have much to work with but she pulled it off! She caught the vision and gave us a movie that depicted the essence of Stephenie Meyer's story and characters honorably.

Melissa Rosenburg managed to accomplish something few could ever do... condense Twilight yet preserve the essence of it. She not only did it, but made it look effortless!

When you break it down, it seems like we have a proven formula for success in the box office...

Stephenie Meyer's story preserved with integrity,
Melissa Rosenburg to condense that story in a way that preserves its integrity,
Catherine Hardwicke to direct the filming of the story and actors' portrayal of characters in a way that preserves the story's integrity,
the pleased fans to market (maintain and build hype) for a movie they trust will honor the integrity of the story they love.

The product of this formula is: a box office success.

You'll notice, I didn't put any of the stars of the movie into that formula. Some would argue that the success of the movie was due to Rob Pattinson's excellent portrayal of Edward. I personally disagree with that. I believe the hype surrounding him is because young girls are confusing Rob Pattinson, the person, with Edward, the character. (Of course that doesn't mean the film makers won't use that to their advantage while filming NM.)

It is the character created by Stephenie Meyer that they are swooning over. The truth is, Yoda could have been cast in the role of Edward and we'd still love him, because... it's Edward! They could change out the whole cast (aside from Peter Facinelli and Billy Burke, who were flawless in their portrayals; and possibly Jackson Rathbone, who I'd like to see more from before forming an opinion) for New Moon and it wouldn't bother me. I dare to even suggest that they could replace THE Robert Pattinson and THE Kristen Stewart, and if the integrity of the story is still intact, the fans would still deliver and make it a success.

*Please don't throw things at me! I reiterate, I'm a fan of the books more than of the actors involved in the movie.

I, for one, am disappointed that Catherine Hardwicke will not be involved with New Moon. I can't even begin to presume what the whole negotiation situation between Summit and her was but I will give a little personal speculation here that she had the integrity to basically say, if they weren't gonna let her do it right... she won't do it at all. Once again, that is pure speculation on my part.

The fans had faith in her as the director for Twilight and then had no doubts with her at the prospect of directing New Moon. So it's not surprising that many of us would be nervous about rushing the sequel and putting it in the hands of someone who may not have the same level of commitment and appreciation to "getting it right" that Catherine Hardwicke was proven to have.

However, if the film-making-powers-that-be keep the following simple formula in mind, I think we'll all be satisfied with the outcome.

Stay true to Stephenie Meyer's story and characters, and work WITH her on this.
Through every process, acknowledge, appreciate and involve the fans who will make it a success.
If the director isn't going to be Catherine Hardwicke, then at least let the director be a woman. Women "get" this story... it's just a fact. And it's women who made this story a success.

So there you have it... the controversy! Seriously, I just wish Stephenie Meyer had a new book coming out. I'm so ready for yet another literary masterpiece of fun just from her!!!

How To Be Miserable

2008-12-07T20:30:00.002-07:00

This was a great lesson I heard at church today. I just loved it. It made me really think about what a wonderful life I have regardless of all the difficulties I'm going through. Christmas time in general has become increasingly excessive. The shopping, the decorating, the eating. It seems like we're just not satisfied unless it's even more lavish and grand than the previous year. This holds true for my own family. After realizing just how much this applies to us, I just don't like the idea of my kids (or me and my husband for that matter) getting too comfortable with having "things".

I was laid off from a job I truly, truly loved about 6 months ago. My husband and I agreed that I would be the breadwinner until he was through school. I wasn't too worried about getting another job and just starting over as a warehouse grunt or a temp from an agency. There was always a need somewhere nearby, however, soon the economy crumbled and along with it the job market. Now, my searches for jobs have been turning up nothing more than "opportunities" in Asbestos Removal or Pipe Welding, which I would gratefully try for but they are in cities approximately 3 to 4 hours away from me and I only drive my car long distances when it is absolutely necessary because it will be literally dying on me any day now... poor little Bessie.

I could be miserable and complain about not having a job, or I could be miserable and worry myself into physical illness. I could spend the days crying "why me" and look for pity. Those are some "choices" I could make, but I can also choose to enjoy this time with my children. I can choose to say, "Yeah, our Christmas is gonna be very small, but off the top of my head I can think of LOTS of other people whose situations are FAR more tragic than mine." (... and far more deserving of God's blessings!) There is always someone worse off and in need of help.

I may not have money, a good functioning car, or the "good" stuff in my cupboards, but I and my family are healthy and able bodied. My kids laugh everyday. My husband only has a little over a year to go in school instead of 3 or 4 years, we've got family nearby, wonderful friends all around us (near and far), and we are able to give our service to our friends and neighbors who desperately need the help of others right now for reasons which I know I would never make it through if it were me in their place.

And so, whoever you are, whatever your situation... you have a choice. That can NEVER be taken from you. Viktor Frankl, author of Man's Search For Meaning (my favorite book), learned this while he was a prisoner and slave in the worst concentration camps during World War 2. He, along with millions of Jews, were stripped of all they had... freedom, job, home, family, food, the very clothes on their backs... and their own given name was even replaced by a new "identity" they were forced to go by... a number branded on their arm. Though everything humanly possible was taken away, Viktor Frankl realized he still had choice. He had his mind, his memories, and his ability to choose to hope for a better day to come, or to let despair overcome him and end his life. Be strong or give up.

We can all list things that make us happy or ways to be more joyful, but consider these instructions on how to be miserable as well. I pondered on each point and realized I've gotten my lists mixed up because I'm guilty of all these items!!! (There are also some very insightful quotes to go along with each item.)

How To Be Miserable

Daily, constantly, we choose by our desires, our thoughts, and our actions whether we want to be blessed or cursed, happy or miserable. ~Ezra Taft Benson

1. Believe That Things Will Never Change

Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change. ~Norman Vincent Peale
Tough times never last, but tough people do! ~Robert Schuller

2. Think About Your Problems

Everyone can be discontented if he ignores his blessings and looks only at his burdens. ~Thomas S. Monson

3. Worry About Things You Can't Control

He who worries about calamities suffers them twice over. ~Og Mandino

4. Complain About Your Blessings

I complained because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet. ~Sign in a shoe shop

5. Think About Yourself

Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves: the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others. ~Gordon B. Hinckley

6. Put Yourself Down (and/or Compare Yourself To Others "Better Off")

Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win... ~William Shakespeare

7. Hold Onto Grudges

There is no peace in the nursing of a grudge. There is no happiness in living for the day when you can "get even." ~Gordon B. Hinckley

8. Put Deadlines On Your Happiness (i.e. "I won't be happy until __________ happens.")

Happiness is a decision, not a destination. It's and attitude, not an event! ~John Bytheway

9. Always Want More

Remember that in the end, surely God will be looking only for clean hands, not full ones. ~Jeffrey R. Holland

10. Postpone Prayer

Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. ~Matthew 7:7

11. Recycle Regrets

The past is behind; learn from it. The future is ahead; prepare for it. The present is here; live in it! ~Thomas S. Monson

The Christmas Tree Is Up

2008-12-06T20:48:00.004-07:00

We finally got Christmas out of the boxes and storage totes from the basement! The kids did a great job cleaning their rooms so they could help decorate the tree. And here it is...

The Hansen Family Christmas Tree

It's a six foot fiber optic lighted tree. It's nice but with the vaulted ceiling I want to go for the slim twelve footer I saw at Walmart the other day... *sigh* someday.

The biggest laugh of the whole evening goes to my son, Caleb, who being the dutiful 6 year old boy he is, followed directions to the "T". While I was busy going through items in the other room, I yelled for him to fan the tree out while they were waiting for me. I walked back into the room to find the tree just the way I left it, standing up looking like it just came out of the box... except now with a small fan aimed directly at the tree... plugged in and running.

You have to give it to the boy... he knows how to do what he's told. =D

Finished The Wizard of Oz

2008-12-05T12:52:00.009-07:00

I finished reading The Wizard of Oz to my kids the other day. And all I have to say is... what was he smokin'? No, I'm just kidding... (but not). If you've only seen the movie then you've seen a very different version of the L. Frank Baum classic. My son really enjoyed the story and looked forward to it every night (for more than a reason to prolong going to bed).

It was such a crazy adventure! When the scarecrow gets his brains they are nothing more than a big ball of needles (like actual sharp needles) mixed with a cup of bran (as in the fiber). And when he thinks the needles start poking out of the burlap sack that is his head. (I know! I know! Crazy!) And the flying monkeys? Well, they are under the power of the person who holds the "golden cap". The witch had this cap at first and then Dorothy melted her like brown sugar while trying to mop the floor while the witch was messing with Dorothy who was her kitchen-slave (which I find an entirely relatable situation). Dorothy then takes the cap and has the winged monkeys at her command. (But the keeper of the cap can only summon them a total of three times.) Their adventures also lead them to a whole town made of fine china. The people, houses, and animals are little figurines who have to be very careful or they might break themselves. (cuckooooo! hello!)

With today's technology, they could absolutely remake a more accurate movie version, but... it might freak me out a little. My kids, on the other hand, would LOVE it! Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of fantasy in general. (Yes, I realize vampires and werewolves are "fantasy" and aliens are sci-fi. My two least favorite categories yet also where some of my most favorite books fall under. But those books are more "real-life" based so I have a hard time with the classification sometimes. :P ) But I don't want my kids to be as picky as me with books so I'll read them anything that will stimulate their imagination even if that includes some pretty freaky wacked out stuff, man!

Up next is probably Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites by Chris Heimerdinger... we just choose from what we have around our house, and since this is MY house we're talking about... the choices are very limited. (I'd rather read Where the Red Fern Grows or Super Fudge and I'm really close to scouring the house for loose change just to go purchase one or the other.) What about the local library? you ask? Bwahahaha! First off, I live in Springville, Utah: ie Crappy Libraryville. And second, the anxiety I suffer from borrowing a book from the library and bringing it into my home... where my children, my very own over-caffeinated flying monkeys live is just far too much to ask of me. I have more respect for public library books than to endanger them in that way.

I'm kidding of course! I do take my kids to the library sometimes and let them mess up the book displays in the kids section, or act like I don't know whose unruly children they are when I see them stand entirely too close to someone in deep concentration trying to use the computer until they are just so uncomfortable that they leave and my child then takes the empty seat while simultaneously clickclickclickclicking the mouse to make something, anything, happen on the screen. It's loads of fun! And sometimes they even get to pick 2 books (only!) to check out.

Anyway, getting back to the point... Dorothy's shoes aren't even red! They are SILVER! And my kids and I would never have known the truth if we hadn't read the book together!

Flattering Friend Request

2008-12-04T20:12:00.004-07:00

I just got this friend request on myspace. I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe... but I'm SO flattered!!!!!!! I guess I picked a good picture for my profile because I KNOW I don't look anything near as beautiful as Elizabeth Reaser in real life!!! (read the message to me as pointed out by the pink arrow-click on pic to see larger)

4 Days of Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T15:22:00.002-07:00

I'm finally back from my four full days of non-stop eating! Yes, I shamelessly stuffed my face with all that fabulously fattening food each and every day of the holiday weekend and enjoyed every minute of it! All I have to say is... thank heaven for family, friends, and cream cheese! If I ever left my husband, it would be for a brick of softened cream cheese... I kid you not!

Now that Monday is here and life is somewhat back to normal, I was able to finally get caught up on my emails... somewhat... and I have been working on putting my house back together after the long weekend. Although we weren't home for a very large portion of it, for some reason just the simple fact that my kids and husband don't have school automatically makes my house dirty and disorganized. It's one of those unexplainable, but accepted anomalies of my life.

I've got dinner already done for the most part, which is super exciting for me. And I will probably attempt to tackle mount wash-more next, but now that the kidlets are home I have a feeling that I should stop trying to go down my to-do list before the inevitable frustration sets in from the feelings of lack of accomplishment with the last items. It's best just to bask in the glory of sense of accomplishment from the items I did get to cross off and then just "go with the flow" after 3:30pm for me. So, here I go...

More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-27T10:49:00.002-07:00

More Red Carpet Twilight Premiere pictures from Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings*.

Justin Chon

All photos are the sole property of Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* and are posted here with permission.

Bampire! (Twilight Spoof) LOL!

2008-11-27T10:26:00.001-07:00

Red Carpet Birthday Wishes From The Cast Of Twilight

2008-11-25T11:51:00.003-07:00

Special Thanks to Endless Twilight, ~kirsten~, *gypsy wings*, Sarah from TwilightTEENS, and to Mike Harmon for lending a hand to his daughter and her crazy friends!

Twilight Movie Premiere Photos by gypsy wings

2008-11-24T19:16:00.003-07:00

More amazing photos by Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* from the Red Carpet Premiere of the Movie Twilight.

Peter Facinelli and Jennie Garth

*All photos are the sole property of Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* and are posted here with permission.

Twilight Movie Premiere Photos by gypsy wings

2008-11-24T19:09:00.003-07:00

More amazing photos by Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* from the Red Carpet Premiere of Twilight in Hollywood!

Rachelle Lefevre

*All photos are sole property of Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* and are posted here by permission.

Twilight Movie Premiere Photos by gypsy wings

2008-11-24T19:02:00.004-07:00

More amazing photos from Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* from the Twilight Movie Premiere in LA!

Anna Kendrick

*All photos are the sole property of Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* and are posted here by permission.

The Boys Have Been Busted!

2008-11-24T15:54:00.004-07:00

I just got back from my 4th and NOT-final time seeing Twilight and found the most amusing sight in the theater... I have to share! The boys have been busted! Big time! I went to a matinee, and I kid you not... guys are going to see this movie in the daytime matinees alone so they are not caught! There was one right in front of me and one 2 chairs down. Both completely alone hunched down in their seats then leaving the theater faster than Edward out of Biology once the credits began and before the lights went up. I wondered if maybe I was the only one to witness this but after getting home and telling some friends about it, one of my friends (in another state) exclaimed that she had witnessed the same anomaly in a theater she was in for a Saturday matinee!!!

Now the question is... Are they closet fans? Or just trying to see what their wives/girlfriends have been going on about relentlessly for the past 9 months? And the next question is... What did they think... honestly... ? Hmmmm...

Happy Birthday TwilightMOMS.com

2008-11-22T19:11:00.005-07:00

All day I've been so overcome with emotion and just so thankful for one of the greatest experiences of my life. I never anticipated the growth and joy that something I created could ever have reached this level. I'm at a loss for words and my heart is just full. I just want to say THANK YOU to all the women who have helped and continue to help make TwilightMOMS the fun and heartfelt community it is. I hate to label it as an "online community" because it is SO much more than that. We raise awareness to worthy causes and charities, we build friendships that are lifelong, we enjoy organizing parties and events just to be with each other and meet each other's families, we laugh and support each other and we LOVE STEPHENIE MEYER AND TWILIGHT!

The past year has been one of the best in my life! I have met more amazing women than I ever would have any other way and each of them inspires me to want to do more and be more. I love you guys!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY TWILIGHTMOMS.COM!!!!

Keep an eye out all next week for birthday fun on TwilightMOMS.com!

Here's just a little Birthday Wish from someone who has the "special ability" to give us all warm fuzzies when he's near!!!(p.s. More to come!)

Twilight Movie Review Part III

2008-11-20T09:08:00.003-07:00

Bella Swan

The hard part about critiquing Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart is that we've all seen so much already. We all KNOW she freaking ROCKS as Bella. She nails the strong willed yet frail human so well! She was fabulous. I loved the interactions between Bella and Charlie. Their relationship was captured perfectly. Likewise, the few interactions she had with Jacob were very worthy of their relationship in the book.

The only problem I could see with her character translated to screen is that, unless the viewer has read the books, they won't understand Bella's lack of fear with Edward. It's just kind of pronounced and thrown out there but a movie-goer who has no knowledge of all the inner workings of Bella's mind will likely find this strange. But, again, how in the world do you squish ALL of Stephenie Meyer's essential intimate details of Bella's mind into one movie... how many pages is the novel? That's a difficult project for anyone to take on.

The Problem With Critic Reviews

I already know the critics will not get this movie. They lack the perspective and insight into the characters and the depth of the story that only the book Twilight can give the viewer. Without the proper perspective they won't have the appreciation for the Romeo and Juliet-esque love story that fans of the books will. They are going into the theaters with their notepads and just saying "okay, impress me". They are judging the mechanics of the movie and just turn their noses up in the air at anything without some sort of controversy, scandal, and politics.

For fans, it's about the book. It's about seeing the characters they hold dear to their hearts manifested physically. For fans it's about the greatest love story of all time. It's about fun. Critics can't appreciate a film that caters to something so meaningless in life as just having something to jump up and down and squeeee over. Stephenie Meyer's books do that to us but in a very deeply emotional way that has changed our lives dramatically and the movie Twilight is just an accompaniment to the thrill her world of vampires brings us, but don't expect the critics to understand that.

Twilight Movie Review Part II

2008-11-19T19:19:00.003-07:00

The Cullens

The cast were each brilliant but the sparkliest stars for me were Peter Facinelli and Jackson Rathbone. I know Stephenie Meyer's characters only exist in the imagination and I'm not a believer in reincarnation, but Peter gave me reason to believe that in a past life he actually was Carlisle. Dr. Cullen has always been a point of interest for me in terms of his history... as opposed to his hotness. Seeing him on screen in the flesh was a dream come true for me. I so admire the patriarchal wisdom and pure humanity (for lack of a better term) that this particular character possesses and none of that was lacking. Dr. Carlisle Cullen may be immortal, but it was Peter Facinelli that brought him to life!

Jackson Rathbone though quiet and tense for the majority of his scenes made Jasper Hale's uncomfortable presence amidst humans intense. The strain of self control was evident on his face at all times but was not over done in any way. I found a renewed appreciation for Jasper and his daily struggle in the "vegetarian" life he chose to live though it goes against everything within his vampire instincts.

Poor Nikki Reed. She is such a perfect Rosalie that I hate for fans to dislike her on a personal level because they cannot separate the actress from the character. Nikki did an amazing job. I think she gets Rosalie. She gets the jealousy and the over protectiveness. She gets that Rosalie has a past and was greatly impacted by certain events that took place. Without possessing any of Rosalie's harsh personality traits herself, Nikki was able to portray the scorned beauty to a tee!

Kellan Lutz is the embodiment of Emmett. Enough said!

Ashley Green is the perfect petite pixie-like Alice. I look forward to seeing the dynamic in the relationship between Alice and Bella develop in the future.

And Elizabeth Reaser captured Esme, the matriarch of the Forks coven, with all her kindness and maternal presence beautifully.

And now to the legend that is Robert Pattinson. (I say that jokingly.) What am I supposed to say? I was a doubter in the beginning... and I was proved wrong in my doubt. He was an amazing Edward. He was funny, angsty, intense, vulnerable. He is an excellent Edward. And that's all I'm gonna say because fans will find out for themselves.

The Quileutes

I can't say enough about Taylor Lautner's portrayal of Jacob. I adore this kid! I'm as much a Jacob lover as I am an Edward lover and to see justice done to Jake was just icing on the cake! New Moon can't come soon enough!

Gil Birmingham as Billy was a perfect fit. And though the intro to Sam and the rest of the wolf pack was brief, Solomon Trimble made an impression. Again, can't wait for New Moon!

THE Kiss

"Don't forget to breathe" is my advice for viewing this scene in its entirety. Have mercy! The first kiss between Edward and Bella was the most AMAZING kissing scene I've ever in my life witnessed. It left me (and every female in the audience) wide eyed and death gripping the drink holder because of the severe intensity and passion. Catherine Hardwicke could have just sandwiched that scene between "once upon a time" and "the end" and I would have walked out of that theater a fully satisfied woman! Seriously, bring a fan along cuz the theater is gonna heat up!

Over All

I really enjoyed the movie. I loved the indy feel to it (even watching the credits was fun!) I loved that it was true to the most important elements of the book. Was it better than the book? No. Stephenie Meyer's imagination is larger than life and will never be sufficiently captured on film. But they sure did a great job capturing what they could. Twilight the movie had the difficult job of condensing an enormous amount of content and character development into just a small space of time without deflecting from the overlying love story and did so on a relatively miniscule budget. And I think they did a fabulous job! The best part about having the personalities of key players of the story established and out of the way in this film is that following sequels will not have to deal with that and will be able to focus even more on story line which gives me even more confidence that it's only gonna keep getting better!

gypsy wings Photographs the Cast of Twilight On the Red Carpet

2008-11-19T14:25:00.002-07:00

Mike Welch

*All photos are the sole property of Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* and are posted here by permission.

gypsy wings Photographs the Cast of Twilight On the Red Carpet

2008-11-19T14:10:00.003-07:00

Edi Gathegi

*All photos are the sole property of Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* and are posted here by permission.

gypsy wings Photographs the Cast of Twilight On the Red Carpet

2008-11-19T11:45:00.002-07:00

Solomon Trimble

*All photos are the sole property of Georgia Cranston/*gypsy wings* and are posted here by permission.

Twilight Movie Review Part I

2008-11-19T08:45:00.008-07:00

Fan Perspective vs. Critic Perspective

For fans of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, the issue is: Does the movie live up to the books? For the critics the issue is: Does the movie live up to the outrageous hype its getting as one of the most anticipated films of the year?

I see only one problem with that. The movie is more of a "compliment" to the first book in the four book series, rather than a "book made into a movie". Obviously, I am with the fans. So, that's the perspective with which I viewed the film and it will differ from the critic perspective.

Twilight, in movie form, does not translate seamlessly into the best selling novel on screen. But few, if any, book-to-movie films have ever managed to accomplish that daunting feat. Realistically, if movie makers wanted to attempt to do that with Twilight, I think the movie form would end up being 2 weeks long rather than 2 hours! (Not that ANY fans, including me, would complain in the least!)

I went into this never expecting ALL the wonderful scenes penned by Stephenie to make it into the movie. Likewise, I went into it expecting changes and alterations. This way, I was sure to not set myself up for disappointment. And my game plan worked, I'm happy to say!

As a fan of the novels I enjoyed the movie because so many scenes left me on the edge of my seat with anticipation, left me completely breathless and even, many times, made me laugh out loud.

If the cast members were able to bring about the imagery that I had in my head of the characters, then I was thoroughly impressed! And many of them did this! Some cast members did such an impressive job that I am having a problem even figuring out how to finish this sentence in a way that would adequately express just how cool they are in my mind after seeing the end product of their dedication to the exactness of the character they portray.

Billy Burke managed to bring to life the endearing traits of Bella's father, Charlie. Mike Welch did an awesome job as Mike Newton. I actually look forward to more "Mike Newton" in the coming sequels (and there had better be sequels!) Anna Kendrick was fabulous! Absolutely perfect! Edi Gathegi, I was already partial to, but now my partiality is justified. He will ROCK the screen in New Moon! I can't wait to hear more of that accent! Rachelle LeFevre... I don't even think I have words for. Her sultry voice alone gave dimension to the nomads' ominous presence. Her portrayal of the vindictive Victoria is very worthy of fan praise and it would freak me out to meet her in a dark alley if I wasn't already comforted with the knowledge that Rachelle was a fellow crazy Joey MacIntire fan back in the day. (I think I have a girl crush.) And I would be amiss if I didn't mention a certain extra in the movie who was AWESOME! I nearly jumped out of my seat every time I saw her! Hooray for my favorite extra!!! She was the best movie extra in the history of extras in movies!

The Sparkle Effect

Few questions throughout history have boggled the mind of fankind as disturbingly as, "How will they make Edward sparkle in the sun?" The thought of using glittery makeup made me cringe to think about. The fans will be anticipating Edward's big diamond-like skin reveal to Bella as he steps into the sun. I don't think they will be disappointed. The CGI was excellent! I give it a "thumbs up"! Along with a big "thank you" for not slathering Rob with body glitter. Brilliant work! I loved it!

The Music

Carter Burwell... Inspiration be thy name! His music catered to and intensified viewer emotion. I experienced the same emotions that I feel while reading the book. If Twilight were a packaged gift to the fans, then Carter Burwell's movie score and the Soundtrack songs are the ribbon wrapped around it. The music enhanced the beauty, thrill and/or intensity of each scene and the fans will be able to relive the excitement of seeing the movie for the first time again and again through the music and it will compliment Stephenie Meyer's playlists wonderfully. So, make room on your iPod you're gonna want it!

Watch for Part II of my review. I will talk about each of the Cullens, the Quileutes and THE Kiss! There is much to write about!!! I will do my best to get that written up asap!

I Just Saw Twilight!!!

2008-11-19T00:34:00.003-07:00

So, I just got back from seeing a little film called Twilight... heard of it? Yeah, it pretty much ROCKED!!! It was a relatively small group in the theater full of press and radio dj's from various stations, but there were squeeeees aplenty by the lucky fans who were able to attend this special prescreening! I kept wondering what these poor press people were thinking as I watched them shake their heads and laugh, then scribble on their notepads. LOL!

Well, I know what I thought... and I have been sufficiently dazzled! The CGI was great! The emotion and intensity of the characters and the story translated to the screen far better than I had imagined! There is just so much to say but unfortunately I'm not a Cullen and I desperately need sleep right now so I can get up to get my kids ready for school in the morning. I will get a review up soon and don't worry, I won't reveal too much! I want you to be able to savor watching it your first time like I did! Catherine Hardwicke, you caught the vision and you delivered!

For now enjoy this little blurb from the guy seated in front of me:

http://screenrant.com/twilight-review-for-men-vic-4303/

Reelz Twilight Premiere Footage

2008-11-18T14:31:00.001-07:00

Pass the smelling salts... I'm about to pass out!

Twilight Dailies

Twilight Premiere Coverage Update

2008-11-18T09:45:00.003-07:00

Just a quick update for everyone... I got a call from our admin team who were in LA for all the excitement as they were headed back to the hotel for much needed showers, food, and bladder relief and I could feel the electricity between all of them! So much so that I had to shut myself into my kitchen pantry to help muffle all the squeeeeeing and shouting and jumping up and down as they told me about all the stars coming up to them and giving them some love on their way down the carpet!

~kirsten~ even got a little kiss on the cheek from Jackson Rathbone (Jasper) for offering him her bottle of water. And *gypsy wings* was able to ask Rachelle LeFevre how she liked her one of a kind Gypsy Wings butterfly wing necklace. To which she replied that she wears it all the time.

The admins got plenty of great footage and photos of all the cast of Twilight on the red carpet, as well as coverage of the Twilight Live Podcast and afterparty. Don't worry, I've already started begging for them to get it all ready asap and throw a few pics my way if possible. So, keep checking in and I'll keep scouring the web for other great Twilight Premiere pics and info! Also, I'll be seeing a special prescreening of the movie tonight so be on the look out for my review sometime late tonight!

And just one last thing... ummm... What the heck are we all gonna do after this week is over???

10) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-18T05:50:00.002-07:00

Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie & Pancho

Peter Facinelli & Jennie Garth

Kristen Stewart

9) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-18T05:46:00.002-07:00

Jaime Foxx

Kim Basinger & daughter Ireland

Frances Bean Cobain

8) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-17T23:45:00.004-07:00

7) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-17T23:38:00.004-07:00

Kellan Lutz

Taylor Lautner & Edi Gathegi

Jackson Rathbone

Elizabeth Reaser

Mike Welch

6) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-17T23:35:00.004-07:00

Taylor Lautner

Rob Pattinson

Taylor Lautner

Taylor Lautner & Nikki Reed

Solomon Trimble

5) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-17T23:30:00.004-07:00

Peter Facinelli

Rob Pattinson

Billy Burke

Rob Pattinson

Nikki Reed

4) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-17T23:26:00.003-07:00

Cathrine Hardwicke

Kristen Stewart

Stephenie Meyer

Rob Pattinson

Cathrine Hardwicke

3) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-17T23:20:00.004-07:00

Edi Gathegi

Kristen Stewart

Rob Pattinson

Taylor Lautner

Kristen Stewart

photos from fanpop.com

2) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-17T23:14:00.004-07:00

Nikki Reed

Jackson Rathbone

Paramore

Rob Pattinson

Taylor Lautner

photos from fanpop.com

Replay of the Twilight Red Carpet LA Movie Premiere

2008-11-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

1) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2008-11-17T22:08:00.003-07:00

Taylor Lautner

Nikki Reed

Elizabeth Reaser

Twilight Premiere Red Carpet Photos

2008-11-17T21:59:00.002-07:00

Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

photos from fanpop.com

TwilightMOMS at the LA Premiere

2008-11-17T21:33:00.002-07:00

Peter Facinelli and Wife Jennie

2008-11-17T19:21:00.004-07:00

Peter Facinelli and wife Jennie arriving. Keep watching the live widget! I saw Taylor, Edi, Kellan, Mike, and some others there too!

Twilight Premiere Live... maybe...

2008-11-17T18:43:00.003-07:00

We should be able to get some live LA action if they're able to handle the traffic so let's keep our fingers crossed!

I also just got word that Solomon Trimble has already arrived.

TwilightMOMS In E! Online Article

2008-11-17T18:04:00.002-07:00

E! Online just posted an article about the fans camping out for the LA Twilight Premiere... and even quotes my buddie and longtime TM, Sarah (aka Sarapat).

Twilight Fans Take to the Streets
Today 4:34 PM PST by MARC MALKIN

Summit Entertainment

Even the Southern California wildfires can't stop Twilight fans from trying to get a look at Robert Pattinson.

About 250 people have been camped out since yesterday in front of L.A.'s Mann Village Theater, home of tonight's world premiere of Twilight.
So, who are these folks? Read on to find out...
Mallory Gelineau and Allison Hart, both 14-year-old high schoolers, suffered through a 14-hour road trip with their moms from their homes in Folsom, Calif. “It was one hectic ride,” Gelineau said. “It was originally only supposed to take us 6 or 7 hours to get here, but we tried avoiding the fires...It was bumper to bumper. It took about three hours to go 30 miles.”
Melanie Atkins, 49, and her daughter, Rose, 15, were the first in line. They arrived yesterday at 7 a.m. (um, that's about 36 hours before the premiere even begins). "We slept on the sidewalk in the freezing cold," Melanie said.
And talk about a cool mom. Melanie said she planned on covering for her kid if any teachers asked why her daughter missed school today. "I'm not going to lie," she said. "I'm gonna say that I was out of a town on a trip. I'm just not going to give too many more details."
But so far, it all seems worth it. Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke made a surprise visit last night to the Twi-hard fans. She posed for pics and signed autographs. "It was awesome," Rose said.
And just when you think it's only teenage girls clamoring for a peek and maybe a photo with Pattinson, think again.
Seven thirtysomething members of TwilightMoms.com also staked a claim on the sidewalk. They left their kids home with their dads. “Twilight is just the perfect mix of the good, clean, old-fashioned romance, and awesome fantasy at the same time," said Sarah Clark, 32, of Yorba Linda, Calif. "I just fell in love with the book series instantly.”
Angela Atherton, a 36-year-old stay-at-home mom, beamed, "There's no end. This isn't over. There are several sequels to be had."
—Additional reporting by Dahvi Shira

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b69226_twilight_fans_take_streets.html

TwilightMOMS and TwilightTEENS Press!!!

2008-11-17T17:20:00.003-07:00

Our press!!! The lovely Georgia (*gypsy wings*), TwilightMOMS Admin, and Sarah from our sister site, TwilightTEENS are teaming up to bring dazzling coverage to the thirsty masses!

Twilight Red Carpet Handouts

2008-11-17T16:31:00.002-07:00

Here's a look at some free goodies being handed out to the fans!

TwilightMOMS Red Carpet Coverage of the LA Twilight Premier

2008-11-17T15:43:00.004-07:00

Keep checking in all day and night. I'll be updating my blog with incoming pictures as I get them from the TwilightMOMS on the Red Carpet!

Twilight Movie On Tuesday... For Me!!!

2008-11-16T22:16:00.002-07:00

As if my already dazzled heart could take any more at this point, I have been invited to a special prescreening of Twilight this Tuesday! That's right, the day after tomorrow I am sure to O.D. (Over Dazzle) so I hope medical personel will be standing by with smelling salts, a saline drip and brown paper bag for me to breathe into!

My husband will be there to lend strong moral support but my only fear is that I will become delusional and mistakenly call him "Edward" once the opening credits appear (that would be a no-no). It would be a horrible faux pas considering this man has stood by me in the craziest year either of us has ever seen in our marriage. (The poor man rues the day he ever told me I need to find friends and go out and have fun... I can hear him saying, "I told you to make some friends, not build an empire!") Kudos to my husband, who I feel has done an unparallelled job in the role of Ricky Ricardo having to put up with his wife's crazy antics and often times using his authoritarian voice to say, "Lisa, you got some 'splaneen to do!" Maybe I'll include some of his thoughts when I write up a recap and let the world know what the "Coven Mother" thought about the movie she has been shamelessly plugging for 9 months without any kickbacks!

Look for my review on TwilightMOMS.com Tuesday night in all it's dazzlaciousness!

No, But Thanks For Asking

2008-11-16T02:56:00.006-07:00

My son actually asked me this question yesterday:
"Mom, can I break this?"

... Now, if only he'd double check with me like that more often!

Bad Day

2008-11-13T21:06:00.004-07:00

It's official. I'm a car killer. A couple weeks ago my car engine started seizing after I drove home from church and hit a couple of huge puddles. (admittedly, I didn't really try to avoid them... they were fun.) Then this morning I took my husband's car to drop my son off at school and when I came back out to the parking lot the car wouldn't start. So, my husband had to borrow the neighbor's silver Volvo to pick me up. (I kid you not, a silver Volvo.)

It didn't take long before the depressing reality of the state of my life hit me, that at that very moment I had no education, no job, no money, and now no cars - at the age of 35. I was immediately sucked into an awaiting black hole of downward spiraling "I'm a complete loser-ness". The tears started to flow and I was horizontally magnetized to the couch for the rest of the day.

It's been a while since I've let those "minor" issues get to me and being the normally more pro-active person, decided I would just allow myself this one day. Just one day to feel crappy about my reality and then back to work! Not work work because I don't have a job, but at least I have house work. So around 4:30pm I peeled myself off the couch and into the kitchen to start dinner, did a few loads of laundry, vacuumed and straightened up the messy areas. And I feel 100% better! Having a truly bad day once in a while really gives me an appreciation for the many many many good days. I think it's okay to allow yourself a little "wo is me" time once in a while, like once or twice a year. After it builds up it's gotta get out. But get it out then get moving again and do the best you can with what you have.

Here Comes Christmas

2008-11-11T23:11:00.004-07:00

I'm already feeling the stress and strain of Christmas being just around the corner! Nevermind Thanksgiving! I gave up worrying about that a long time ago... and admittedly, as of yet we still have no idea if we're going anywhere or just staying home, or what is even on the menu if we do! UGH! I KNEW that by this time I would be standing around perplexed wondering where the year went and why I haven't accomplished anything on my to do list. And now here comes Christmas!

My kids are easy... whatever toy commercial comes on, they automatically say, "Can I get that!" To which my response is "no, stop saying that or I'll turn on the news."

Becca LOVES babies. She loves her dolls. She loves pretending they are real to the point that she tries to make real milk bottles for them and feed them real food. (her dolls look atrochious, they're loved so much!) She even steals the neighbor's stroller and car seat/carrier out of their garage to take them for walks and rides. She steals real diapers from people's changing tables even!

Caleb wants anything a 6 year old boy would want. Anything Star Wars, Transformers, or Spongebob. Anything remotely related to a sport that uses any kind of ball. And anything and everything Lego!

For my husband I am always at a loss. What do you get a pack rat? What do you get a guy that could open his own thrift store without adding to the already out of hand junkification of the house? Hmmmmm....

g mgh nhgnghg hgnggvmklghngmgg fkhdnfkdpjh

2008-11-10T07:40:00.004-07:00

*EDIT FROM MOMMY*
okay... I didn't actually make a blog post so I apologize for the false alarm but it was so cute I couldn't delete it. My daughter got up much earlier than me this morning and apparently felt like blogging. So, this is actually Becca's post and if I could title it I would probably call it "So Easy A Child Can Do It".

And as a side note, she had multiple windows open when I found her. Christina Aguilera's new album was blaring in one and she was doing a bit of online Christmas shopping on Target in another. I'm just desperately hoping she won't figure out how to make purchases with my credit card!

Quick Brag

2008-11-06T16:07:00.001-07:00

ha ha haha ha! I got to see Kimberly last night. =P

Is it just me...?

2008-11-05T13:54:00.002-07:00

Does anyone else just secretly LOVE hearing those freecreditreport.com ad jingles? I go around singing them all day and I'm still not sick of them! That marketing team got me hook, line, and sinker! (dammit!)

Along with those, I love the Geico caveman "episodes".

Me? Sarcastic? ...Never!

2008-11-04T21:45:00.004-07:00

Well... Hooray for a Socialist America. Luckily I'm really super poor so I'll benefit from the rich people paying my taxes... why work now when everyone else will do it for me? (I was never big on hard work and the american dream anyway.)

You wanted this "change", America... you got it... brace yourselves.

Fortunately, optimism is built into my biochemistry so I look forward to the future and thank God for the privilege to witness this historic event and to live in the greatest country in the world.

It's About Preserving American Freedoms

2008-11-03T18:45:00.003-07:00

This is not an issue of good vs. evil. It is an issue of keeping government out of places it does not belong. What appears to be a cause for equality is actually a breach of the very governmental system that was set in place via the Constitution of the United States of America to protect all citizens from that same government. Sidestepping and violating the Constitution to bring about ANY group's cause in the short term, will inevitably endanger that very same group's rights in the long term. i.e. If Prop 8 is not passed, it will come around and bite you in the butt as a result of some other group with their cause using the same Constitutional sidestepping tactics.

Be gay. Be married. Fight for equality. But do not go about it in a way that destroys the system designed to protect a whole country's freedoms from their own government.

Vote Yes on Prop 8 and then pursue equality responsibly. Not at the expense of a whole country.

~Lisa

Upholding the Constitution
By Orson Scott Card

On one extreme, we have the idea that the Constitution is a written document that can only be altered by a deliberately time-consuming process of amendment.

On the other extreme, we have the idea that the Constitution means whatever a group of judges says it means.

The Constitution itself belongs to the first group -- it declares that it can only be changed through the amendment process.

But ever since Roe v. Wade in 1973, we have watched as, first the U.S. Supreme Court, and now state supreme courts in Massachusetts, California, and Connecticut, make new law by judicial decree, based on "ideas" purportedly found in the federal and state constitutions, but not based on the plain language of those documents.

No one in their right mind can possibly claim that when these constitutions were approved, there was the slightest intention to force abortion, and now gay marriage, on societies that had never been given a chance to vote on such morally portentous matters.

Roe v. Wade originally allowed abortions only in the first trimester of pregnancy. But through diktat after diktat, without any new law passed by constitutional process, the abortion "right" has come to allow killing a viable baby in mid-birth, or discarding a living baby when it was rude enough to be born breathing in the midst of an abortion.

Now various state courts are declaring that "marriage" must be redefined to include something that "marriage" has never meant in the history of the human race -- a reproductively and socially irrelevant "bond" between persons of the same sex.

As a science fiction writer, it has been my job to look at how the world works now, and then project into the future what might come next -- and, when I can, suggest how negative changes might be remedied.

Full Faith and Credit

Despite their contempt for the Constitution, you can be sure that the proponents of gay marriage will use Article IV of the Constitution to force recognition of gay marriage in states that have not yet had it forced on them by their courts.

Article IV says "Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof."

How does this work? For many years, when most states had tough divorce laws, people who wanted a divorce had to go to Nevada long enough to establish residency, and then get a divorce under Nevada's much easier law.

Then, when they returned to their home state, that Nevada divorce had to be recognized, even though such a divorce would never have been lawful under that state's own laws.

Congress has passed a law declaring that no state has to accept a gay marriage authorized in another state -- but this sort of declaration seems to me likely to be ruled as beyond the scope of what Article IV allows.

Congress can set a standard of proof, but it is hard to imagine the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Congress can simply negate the plain language of Article IV and declare that a marriage contract valid in California can be completely ignored in, say, North Carolina.

One can imagine litigation going on for years. Meanwhile, in state after state, by judicial fiat, gay marriages would be contracted and children adopted by gay couples until it would become nearly impossible to sort out the mess.

Worst Case Scenario...

In California , if Proposition 8 fails to pass, gay-marriage proponents will claim that this constitutes public approval of gay marriage.

Of course this is not true. Many people who have telephoned people about Prop. 8 have heard the person who answers the phone say, "No gay marriage! I am voting no on Prop. 8!" But when you try to explain that if you don't want gay marriage, you have to vote yes on Prop. 8, they often get confused.

But let's step back a little. There should never have been a Proposition 8.

In order to make such a radical change in human behavior and custom, the proponents of gay marriage should have followed constitutional, democratic process and persuaded people to support it until a majority was achieved.

That's what the U.S. Constitution and every state constitution require. And that has not happened anywhere in the U.S.

What was the public emergency that made it so the New Puritans could not wait to persuade people to vote for what they wanted? The only emergency was that they knew that they could not do it. They knew democracy would not choose what they wanted.

Therefore small groups of dictators have simply taken it upon themselves to deny universal human practice and remake the law as they saw fit, without waiting for democratic process.

Their pretexts are laughable, their authority nonexistent. No constitution declares that any court has such a right.

So why is anyone obeying them? Because, in support of their illegal action, the courts can issue writs removing the power of any other state official to resist them. There is no institution that even knows how to begin resisting the illegal usurpation of power by the judicial branch.

No branch of government was ever intended to have the power to dictate new law without other branches of government having a chance to stop them or at least slow them down.

In essence, we have suffered a coup and lost our democracy. A minority is dictating new law against the will of the majority, and will spread it by force throughout the country by using the full-faith-and-credit clause.

This should terrify the proponents of gay marriage, because a process that right now seems to work for them could just as easily, and just as unfairly, be used against them. But they think only in the short term. They don't mind leaving democracy in a shambles and making the Constitution a joke, as long as they get their way on this issue.

As much as I think gay marriage is a terrible idea, grounded on neither science nor common sense, we should be even more concerned that our republic is in the process of ceasing to be in any meaningful sense a democracy.

Amending the Constitution

We need a constitutional amendment declaring that no court, federal or state, can strike down or alter any law passed by a legislative body except when it contradicts the plain language of the applicable constitution, as understood at the time of passage.

The unconstitutional usurpation of powers by the judges must be brought to an immediate stop.

But with Democrats in control of the Congress, there is no chance of getting that body to propose a constitutional amendment that will correct this gross abuse -- again, because they have only seen it used to enact their agenda. Short-sighted as they are, they will not oppose this judicial power until and unless it is used against them. Then, of course, they'll scream bloody murder and behave much more badly than the too-long complacent American moderates and conservatives.

What recourse, then, do we have?

1. Right now most states have majorities of voters who are opposed to gay marriage. Since Congress and the Supreme Court are unlikely to provide any remedy, the Constitution provides an alternative. Article V allows the legislatures of two-thirds of the states to call for a constitutional convention, and if they do, Congress is required to call that convention.

If the anti-gay-marriage majorities demanded that their state legislators vote to call such a convention, Congress could do nothing to stop it.

Such a convention can then propose amendments to the Constitution which, if ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states, would be as valid as any of the amendments originally passed by Congress.

Of course, once such a convention is called, it can propose any amendments it wants; and Article IV is silent on such matters as whether the states would get votes according to their size, or one vote per state.

And even if such a convention confined itself to undoing judicial dictatorship, we would still have to get three-fourths of the states to agree to repudiate authority which the courts were never given!

It should have taken a three-fourths majority to grant that right -- which would never have been granted, since no American majority would ever have agreed to throw away democracy and turn our government over to judges who think they're wiser than the common people.

Peaceful Noncompliance

2. The other recourse is this: We citizens do not have to recognize any attempt by any body of government to redefine a human relationship that existed for thousands of years before any existing government or constitution was established.

No judge, no legislature, no ruler has the right or power to change the meaning of a word. Languages are created by common consent. Governments did not create marriage, they merely regulated it -- requiring blood tests, refusing to grant legal status to marriages between persons too closely related, and deciding when or whether a marriage can be dissolved.

What they don't have the right to do is declare that "marriage" now includes relationships that were never intended when laws regulating marriage were enacted.

Nor do they have the power to force us to change our understanding of marriage. Regardless of what the government says, if we as individuals or communities refuse to accept anything except a heterosexual bond as a "marriage," we cannot be forced to change our mind, our language, or our social behavior.

But they will certainly try. Anyone who doesn't accept homosexual couplings as marriages will be called names and persecuted. Our children will be propagandized to accept "marriages" that we repudiate.

If we take our children to private schools, the state will refuse to certify any school that doesn't join in the propaganda.

If we take our children out of school to teach them at home, the state will declare home-schooling illegal -- there are movements already under way in several states to do exactly that.

Defying the Dictators

The New Puritans who are forcing this on us are dictators at heart, haters of democracy if it doesn't get the results they want. Isn't it ironic that most of them call themselves "Democrats" and call their opponents "fascists"? I guess "marriage" isn't the only word they've redefined.

(For instance, the Democratic Party leadership has openly talked of reinstating the so-called "fairness" doctrine exclusively against conservative talk radio, with the purpose of shutting it down. They hate freedom of speech for anyone who does not agree with them.)

The New Puritans will not rest until every scrap of resistance against them has been beaten down. We know this because this is how they already behave wherever they have power -- universities, news media, schools, and many other institutions already have shown us the mindless extremism of these New Puritans, and how relentlessly they deprive their opponents of their livelihood and reputation.

We saw in 2000 how eager the dictator-judges were to defy and destroy Florida election law in order to elect the U.S. president they preferred.

Meanwhile, any opposition to them is decried as bigotry, because, despite their track record of utter intolerance, the New Puritans claim to have a monopoly on tolerance!

Your ability to raise your children to believe in your religion is already under attack; the New Puritans are quite prepared to use force to take your children and propagandize them to believe the scientifically indefensible dogma that gay marriage is "just the same as" marriage.

What we must make clear is that we will never allow a dictatorship to define what marriages and families are. Those who have taken this dictatorial power have done so illegally and unconstitutionally; we do not have to obey dictators in America ; the Constitution does not require it. Indeed, defending the Constitution requires us to repudiate would-be dictators.

Because of the actions of the dictator-judges, we are required to get three-fourths majorities to restore the Constitution, it is possible that despite the will of the majority, such efforts will fail. A radical minority unconstitutionally forced a new law on us; but they require us to meet the constitutional process in order to overturn their "law."

Unload that Gun

At that point, what can we do? I've heard frustrated people talk about armed rebellion, about overthrowing the government. Those of you with itchy trigger fingers, put away your guns. We are committed to democracy, not to violence.

Please read a history of the French Revolution. And then the Russian Revolution. Armed rebellion does not restore constitutional government, it most likely replaces one dictatorship with a worse one.

And while you're at it, read a history of the U.S. Civil War and decide if you think that's a good idea. I don't.

What we have to recognize is that Constitutional government has already been overthrown by judges who thought they were smarter and more righteous than us common people. Because the process was incremental, we have allowed it to go on, getting worse and worse, but it is not overthrowing the government to restore it.

They seized power in a nearly invisible coup, but seize it they did, and it's time for us to declare that we've seen their crime and refuse to accept it. As President Goerge H.W. Bush said after Iraq seized Kuwait in 1991, we must say, "This will not stand."

The way to restore the Constitution's requirement that only legislatures are allowed to legislate is simple and peaceful, though it requires more courage and unity than to try answer usurpation with force.

All we have to do is withdraw our support from the dictatorship.

Going on Strike

Conveniently, that portion of American society that supports the written Constitution, and that denies the power of government to redefine marriage, also provides the overwhelming majority of volunteers for the American military and for law enforcement and public safety.

What if Evangelicals, Catholics, Mormons, orthodox Jews -- and people of any religion who believe in democracy and the Constitution -- all retired from the military or police, or refused to enlist or reenlist as long as they are going to be used to enforce the "laws" made up by dictators?

What if we ceased to put any marriage announcements, obituaries, or want-ads in papers that run "gay marriage" announcements, or even stopped buying those papers at all? The "mainstream" media would quickly discover that they aren't so mainstream after all.

What if we all kept our children at home and refused to allow them to go to propagandizing schools?

How long could our government function if we withdrew all our support?

What if only ten percent of us conducted such open resistance? Or even one percent? How long would the government retain even a shred of legitimacy in other citizens' eyes if they are dragging us off to jail or taking away our children because we have committed the crime of wanting to raise our them in our own religion, or wanting to be subject only to laws passed by Constitutional means?

Along the way, we would declare public strikes: Everyone who rejects judicial dictatorship simply stays home from work and spends no money, anywhere. The first time, for one day. The second time, for two. If people get fired, we will establish strike funds to help them keep going. But we also boycott anyone who fires a striker.

What we need to decide, right now, is that we will not be ruled by dictators, our children will not be propagandized by the New Puritans, and we will not allow any government to redefine marriage.

We have long been disunited and ineffective in our resistance to the encroachment of dictators. We have to decide, now, that they have finally gone too far, striking into the heart of our homes. We will try all the legal remedies available; but if we are unable to dislodge the dictators, we must, without violence of any kind, make it impossible to govern or defend this nation as long as the dictators claim and exercise these usurped powers.

Vote While We're Still Allowed To

Of course, all of this would be completely unnecessary if we were to elect a President and Congress that would appoint and confirm judges who did not usurp power, and who would pass laws denying any state court the right to redefine marriage.

But the media have helped Obama sell the lie that he is the moderate who can bring us together; in fact, Obama is the most radically leftist candidate ever to run as a major party nominee, and he has never shown the slightest willingness to compromise on anything. His judicial appointees would be committed dictator-judges, without exception.

We cannot do anything about whom the voters in the most liberal states choose to represent them in Congress. But we can make sure we choose pro-Constitution candidates in the states where we are the majority.

And we can vote for state legislators who are likely to be willing, when it becomes necessary, to go over the heads of Congress and vote for a constitutional convention to correct these abuses.

Two years of anti-democratic Democratic Party rule would make it clear that we have chosen the foxes to guard the chicken coop. If that should happen, then in 2010, we must try to make the calling of a constitutional convention the most important issue in every state legislative contest.

We can prevail in restoring Constitutional government to America -- if we have the courage to pay the price along the way.

This article first appeared in The Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro, North Carolina.

(If you would like to post and link this article, please feel free to do so
Here is the link to this article in Meridian Mag.
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/ideas/081031constitution.html
~Lisa)

Why am I covered in feathers?

2008-11-01T10:53:00.004-06:00

Sadly... there was no romantic encounter with an amorous pillow biting vampire. My pillow apparently burst in the middle of the night and the mess is EVERYWHERE! ... but I felt just like Bella for a few seconds this morning. *grins*

Article: There I Go Again… Having Fun

2008-10-30T22:05:00.003-06:00

Back in July I was contacted by some women who were putting together an online Twilight magazine and they had asked me to contribute an article so I was happy to oblige. I need to go search for the name of the online magazine to see if I can possibly link to it. But, for now, here is the little "piece" I wrote. :)

There I Go Again… Having Fun
Lisa Hansen
July 2008

In recent years I believe the definition of what constitutes a “powerful story” has been redefined. There are “good” stories which are enjoyable to read once. We think to ourselves, “That was nice” and then move on to the next. There is the ever so prestigious “literary genius” which is full of beautiful imagery, poetic sentences, seamless storylines and complex characters. We study these books, discuss them, analyze them, are edified by them and then move on to the next book, but come back to it periodically in our lives.

And then there is the story with “power”. It breaks all the rules, leaves critics scratching their heads, and refuses to accept it’s label for age propriety (despite being categorized on bookstore shelves). What about that story? The one that actually changes lives around the world? What about a story that is so consuming that readers, young and old, can’t move on? The story that creates the compulsion to read and re-read and re-read over and over and over? The story that erases social boundaries, creates and enriches relationships? Without intending to be, that story is far more than just words carefully arranged on paper.

Does a story with that much power and force have to be about something profound and hard to grasp? Well, the answer is, “no”. A story with that kind of power doesn’t have to be a commentary on mankind or some prolific figure in history. The Twilight Saga is evidence that a “powerful story” can, in fact, just be about fun and entertainment.

If I had a dollar for every email or comment that I’ve gotten that said how ridiculous I was, that Twilight was “written for teens, so leave it alone”, that I should “get a life”, merely because I created a website for the adult minority of Stephenie Meyer fans, I’d probably have my husband’s student loans almost paid off.

To those comments, I usually just think to myself (with heavy sarcasm), “Gee, I totally forgot that being a wife and mom meant that I was no longer allowed to have interests” or “Whoops! There I go again, having fun… and at MY age! How revolting!”

But, the big question is, “Just who constitutes what a 'life' is and what a 'life' entails?" Life is made up of experiences, feelings, emotions, interactions. If I am not creating memories of a life filled with vibrant passion, love and loss, laughter and tears, and meaningful relationships with others, then I am not experiencing “life”.

Reading Twilight has added to my life experiences. Twilight has the power to suck the reader into the story. The experiences, feelings, emotions, interactions are awakened in the reader. The passion, the love and loss, the laughter and tears, the meaningful relationships are experienced in a very personal and real way by the reader.

A story that evokes the sense that the reader is a part of the story rather than just a reader of it, is a story with “power” and that kind of power can’t possibly be subject to something so trivial as an age limit placed upon it by any marketing team!

Never underestimate the power of a story. No matter what it is about. No matter what age bracket is stamped on the cover. It just might be the one that changes you… and millions more.

Blue Hamsters... don't ask... just nod your head and smile...

2008-10-30T15:26:00.005-06:00

Last night my 6 year old boy, Caleb, asked me if I wanted to lay on the couch with him and watch TV before he had to go to bed. Of course this just melted my heart! How could I not want to cuddle with my little cutie!? My powers are useless against him! So, we curled up on the couch and often times those are the simple moments that create a warm and fuzzy atmosphere where kids and parents are able to communicate and connect with each other and strengthen family bonds... but... this is my son we're talking about so our "moment" went like this...

Me: I like these granola bars. They're crunchy. Do you like the crunchy granola bars?

Caleb: Yeah! I like crunchy granola bars! (pause) ... I like crunchy granola bars and I like blue hamsters.

Me: *confused laugh* What??? Blue hamsters??? *confused and unable to form a response*

Caleb: What's so funny? ... Don't you like hamsters?

Me: ummm... sure... I like hamsters...

Then we go back to watching TV... Caleb, happy and content... my face still contorted with confusion. This kid is just too much like me! So I knew better than to ask, and just took comfort in the knowledge that at least it all makes sense in his head!

Close Call

2008-10-29T17:41:00.003-06:00

I just found rocks in the ice maker in my freezer. (picture left) I don't even want to think of what would have happened if these actually made their way to the crusher!

I'm no stranger to finding odd things in my fridge or freezer. Kids will add a lot of "random" into your days. Especially mine! I'm just glad I caught this one in time, unlike the last "ice maker incident" which involved my husband. (is it weird that I can say I have multiple "ice maker incidents"?)

A few months ago my husband put a couple of cans of black cherry soda in the ice maker to try and chill them really quick for dinner. And I, not knowing this ahead of time, and in a hurry to get dinner underway, started filling the dinner glasses with ice from the dispenser. Imagine, if you will, my shock when all of a sudden, like a scene from a campy horror movie, dark red liquid started pouring out of the dispenser with the ice, splashing and spilling everywhere!

Maybe someone should make a scary movie just for moms and throw in that scene with a couple of good blood curdling screams, and a stretching hallway scene- you're vacuuming and vacuuming as fast as you can but you just can't reach the end!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!! (Now I'm scaring myself!)

Cullen Crest Jewelry

2008-10-28T10:01:00.004-06:00

As my good friend *gypsy wings* would say... Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

People have been dying to get their hands on Cullen Crest jewelry like the cast of Twilight are wearing in the movie. Welllllll, I was just randomly surfing last night... late last night... and I came across an exclusive set being offered by Amazon! It's not available until Nov 30th but OME... or should I say OMC!!! This set is on my Christmas list for sure! And I know I'm not the only one out there who WANTS this set (hint to hubby) so, I created the TwilightMOMS Amazon Widget to the left of this post in the red to give you links to the Cullen Crest Set as well as some other awesome items I found. The mens ring doesn't have anything to do with Twilight, but it had "Twilight" in the name and Edward just tied the knot with Bella... so I threw it in there! Heehee!

Irony

2008-10-26T23:57:00.001-06:00

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliaphobia= The fear of long words.

Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals

2008-10-25T18:23:00.002-06:00

I still have not stopped laughing at this...

2008-10-21T16:34:00.002-06:00

Does anyone else have kids that are just never ever full??? I swear I don't see why my kids are not morbidly obese at their young ages of 6 and 10! It never fails after every meal, once everything has been cleared away and I have sat down for a little rest one or both of them come up to me and say in a whiney voice, "Mom, I'm hungry".

uhhh... what???? Excuse me???? Who was that sitting at the table with us minutes ago and said, "Mom, I'm full"? Are you suffering from multiple personality disorder? Do you have a tapeworm? I do not get it!!! And it's not like they are not eating! Oh they eat... and eat... and eat! I have to constantly shoo them out of the kitchen or intercept a whole bag of cereal just before it leaves the house never to be seen again. This is like... daily! Is this normal? And do I just keep feeding the beast(s)? (so to speak) The amount of milk alone we go through for a small family is just outrageous, it seems!

I don't like them constantly eating so I try to control that as much as possible (who knows what they get away with when my head is turned). I don't allow eating before or after mealtimes. When they tell me they're hungry, tell them "the kitchen is closed". I allow a snack when they get home from school (or between meals on their days off or weekends). Do I just endure the whining and pleading for food like they live in a third world country and I am the evil dictator? Or do I just keep feeding them? Sheesh! Why don't kids come with instruction manuals!?

Fun With Hate Mail

2008-10-14T18:45:00.002-06:00

When you have a somewhat high-profile website/fansite, rude, hateful, and oftentimes downright crazy emails of all kinds come in from all sorts of people from all sorts of places. Some of them are just priceless and beg to be shared with the world.

This is one such email:

Names have been withheld to protect the stupid

xxxxx to admin
Oct 10

hey u... I' writing this e-mail in the name of all the italian girls that hadn't the possibility of buying tickets for the Rome Film Fest... thank u very much... you broke our dreams... you stole our chance to see Rob and Kris the first time they would have been in Italy... u all could see them and have seen them everyday on the set while they're shooting... we can't believe that... we are so mad at u... we can't decribe how disgusted and angry we are... we are only 17 and this was our chance to see the actors... u have the 25% of the tickets that was up to us... and we will always hate u for that... u are pathetic in your thirties still acting like u were 17... WE are 17... and this is our moment....

The Italian Girls without a ticket just because of u

Now, I didn't jump to any conclusions. A LOT gets past me, and there are tons of things that I'm the last to find out about. Although, the thought did come to mind that Twilight Moms will do some crazy things in large numbers, ie our massive trip to Forks or the increasingly large get-togethers for no reason other than we are all addicted to each other, thus, a mass exodus to Rome, Italy might actually not be too far fetched. But, somehow I just don't think I could miss something like that being planned, ya know?

So, in response, I'd just like to say to this person you are obviously very misinformed if you think that I or any of the Administrators were so lucky as to get to attend the Rome Film Festival. You are very naive to think that we somehow scored any tickets to an event so far out of our ability to even attend AND you are even more naive to think that we somehow scored such a vast number of tickets to an event on the other side of the world that you would have no chance to even attend yourself! It is extremely naive to place blame for your inability to attend a public event on people you don't know anything about and who are thousands of miles away from you. When you go making outrageous unfounded claims in a childish tantrum on behalf of all young Italian girls, you do them a great disservice. Fortunately, we know that you do not speak on behalf of them and they are much smarter than to let someone they don't know express an opinion for them. In the future, please look into every aspect of an issue before you go pointing fingers.

Thanks!

(Now wasn't that fun?)

Ten Reasons I Never Get Anything Done

2008-10-13T15:10:00.003-06:00

In no particular order:

I made the mistake of checking my inbox first.
Lego Star Wars.
Urgent Twilight "stuff" just randomly pops up.
My kids need to be fed, bathed,clothed or yelled at.
The kitty was so cuddly looking I just had to snuggle with her.
I got distracted by something shiny.
I ended up spending half the day in the car going here and there.
I made the mistake of sitting down "for a second" then woke up hours later.
I couldn't get off the internet all day.
I thought about it and then said, "Screw it!"

The Full Twilight Trailer

2008-10-09T17:36:00.003-06:00

I think this warrants an international holiday:

Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

The Greatest Kiss of All Time

2008-10-09T08:46:00.004-06:00

Let's slow that down a bit so we can enjoy it...

Bella and Edward Kiss

(Thanks to Encarnacion for this little gem!)

Oh My Edward!

2008-10-08T21:35:00.001-06:00

Attention Twitterers

2008-10-08T16:14:00.004-06:00

As if there weren't enough amazing ways to keep in contact with each other and what's going on anywhere and everywhere! I've just started Twittering as of today. Have I covered the whole communications spectrum yet? MySpace, FaceBook, Blogger, TwilightMOMS.com, Email, Cell Phone, GoodReads, and now Twitter!

Follow me and TwilightMOMS.com at:

http://twitter.com/LisaHansen

http://twitter.com/TwilightMOMS

Seasonal Depression

2008-10-06T21:50:00.007-06:00

Every year at this time I go into mourning. I was Southern California born and raised and I love love love the heat and sunshine. This past weekend was gloomy and gray and when the weather gets gloomy and gray I get grumpy, unmotivated and a severe case of "the sighs". I miss the weather already. Boo Hoo! Whine! Bah Humbug! Grrrr!

Twilight Live Podcast - NYC - August 2008

2008-10-04T18:17:00.001-06:00

Not the Best Blog

Summer Is On It's Way

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The New Moon Experience

The Twilight Factor

Kindergarten Graduation

Feeding the Fish

My Birthday Weekend

Twilight Gadgets! Gotta Love Google!

Birthday Wishes

Birthday Wishes

Fun With Hate Mail Part III

The Chronicles of Caleb

Website Progress

Wordle Fun

I Have Conquered Oatmeal

Redraw The Line Between Hollywood And Washington DC

Fun With Hate Mail - Part Deux

Birthday Project for Stephenie

Want To Be Heard? Write Summit & Go See Twilight Tomorrow

Twilight Christmas Spoof LOL!!!

For Moms EVERYWHERE!!!

New Moon: Formula For Success

How To Be Miserable

The Christmas Tree Is Up

Finished The Wizard of Oz

Flattering Friend Request

4 Days of Thanksgiving

More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

Bampire! (Twilight Spoof) LOL!

Red Carpet Birthday Wishes From The Cast Of Twilight

Twilight Movie Premiere Photos by *gypsy wings*

Twilight Movie Premiere Photos by *gypsy wings*

Twilight Movie Premiere Photos by *gypsy wings*

The Boys Have Been Busted!

Happy Birthday TwilightMOMS.com

Twilight Movie Review Part III

Twilight Movie Review Part II

*gypsy wings* Photographs the Cast of Twilight On the Red Carpet

*gypsy wings* Photographs the Cast of Twilight On the Red Carpet

*gypsy wings* Photographs the Cast of Twilight On the Red Carpet

Twilight Movie Review Part I

I Just Saw Twilight!!!

Reelz Twilight Premiere Footage

Twilight Premiere Coverage Update

10) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

9) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

8) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

7) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

6) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

5) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

4) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

3) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

2) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

Replay of the Twilight Red Carpet LA Movie Premiere

1) More Twilight LA Premiere Photos

Twilight Premiere Red Carpet Photos

TwilightMOMS at the LA Premiere

Peter Facinelli and Wife Jennie

Twilight Premiere Live... maybe...

TwilightMOMS In E! Online Article

TwilightMOMS and TwilightTEENS Press!!!

Twilight Red Carpet Handouts

TwilightMOMS Red Carpet Coverage of the LA Twilight Premier

Twilight Movie On Tuesday... For Me!!!

No, But Thanks For Asking

Bad Day

Here Comes Christmas

g mgh nhgnghg hgnggvmklghngmgg fkhdnfkdpjh

Quick Brag

Is it just me...?

Me? Sarcastic? ...Never!

It's About Preserving American Freedoms

Why am I covered in feathers?

Article: There I Go Again… Having Fun

Blue Hamsters... don't ask... just nod your head and smile...

Close Call

Cullen Crest Jewelry

Irony

Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals

Twilight Movie Premiere Photos by gypsy wings

Twilight Movie Premiere Photos by gypsy wings

Twilight Movie Premiere Photos by gypsy wings

gypsy wings Photographs the Cast of Twilight On the Red Carpet

gypsy wings Photographs the Cast of Twilight On the Red Carpet

gypsy wings Photographs the Cast of Twilight On the Red Carpet